Felt shrinking



April 14, 1925.

- H. A. GENEST FELT SHRINKING Cri'ginal Filed Aug. 27 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 14, 1925. 1,533,349

7 H. A. GENEST FELT SHRINKING Original Filed Aug. 27, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 fiameri 68129625 April 14, 1925.

H. A. GENEST FELT SHRINKING Original Filed Aug. 27. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 PatentediApr. 14, 1925;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOMER A. GENEST, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN MENTS,,TO UNITED STATES HAT MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF RICHflOND, VIR- GINIA, .A. CORPORATION OF.VIRGINIA FELT SHRINKING.

Application filed August 27, 1921, Serial fio. 495,982. Renewed February'4, 1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER A. GENEST, a citizen of the United. States, residing in Hartford, in the county of Hartford and 5 State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Felt Shrinking, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shrinking felt articles, as, for example, the bats of which fur hats are made.

According to the usual method, after a bat has been blown upon the forming cone, it is dipped in scalding waterand then given a preliminary manipulation, whereby it is somewhat hardened so that is can be handled with safety. Then the bat is rolled up in a blanket which is wet with hot water. The blanket and bat are then usually manipulated so as to, shrink the felt. It is necessary to unroll and roll up the bat in the blanket many times, and there is considerable waste of fur. Highly skilled labor is required, so that the expense of shrinking 2 the bat is excessive.

Among the objects of the present invention are to reduce theloss of fur, and to thoroughly shrink and solidify the felt and produce a superior article, and to accomplish this at low cost, while expediting the work and substantially increasing the output, and permitting the employment of less skilled labor.

' Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

in the accompanying drawings,

I Figure 1 is a plan of an apparatus embodying the present improvements in one form, part of the longer of the two endless belts being broken away.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the apparatus seen at Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation, takon at about the line 33 of Figure 1; this F igure-3 being diagrammatic, to illustrate the travel of the bat-shrinking belts.

Figure 4 shows a face view of a bat ready to be shrunken.

Figure 5 is an edge view thereof, showing the open end.

Figure 6 shows the proportions to which the Figure 4 bat may be shrunken.-

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7,

but showing the bat in a different position; the bat in this view having its concave side towards the small pyramids, while in Figure 7 its concaveside is towards the large pyramids.

Figure 9 illustrates the (o-operation ot' a belt having elastic pyramids thereon with a companion belt having no knuckles, but preferably having a plain vulcanized soft rubber face, although a facing of burlap or other fibrous material may be used in some cases. I

Figure 10 is a View similar to Figure 9, but showing the bat bent in the opposite direction in passing around another roll.

Figure 11 is a diagram to illustrate the passage of two of the kneading belts around a roll; the pyramids on one belt being shown as slightly separated, owing to the outward curvature of the belt, while the pyramids on the other belt are shown as approaching one another, owing to the inward curvature of the belt.

Figure 12 is a diagram to illustrate a pair of knuckled belts passing in a straight course through the machine, without applying great pressure to the bats.

Figure 13 is another diagram to show the belts traveling in a straight course. while considerable pressure may be applied to the belts and the bats inserted or nested therebetween.

Figure 14 is a diagram to illustrate the belts pursuing a tortuous course, as at Figure 3, while subjected to great pressure by means of supplemental pressure rolls to cooperate with the rolls shown at Figure 3.

After a conical bat 20, Figure 4, has been blown, immersed in hot water, and given a short preliminary manipulation rolled up in a blanket, it is ready for shrinking by means of the present improvements. An edge view of the bat is seen at Figure 5, in which 21 indicates the folds of the bat. At 22, Figure 6, is indicated the size to which .the bat may be shrunken.

The bat 20 is laid upon a traveling bed or I gripped between said pad 23 and a companion traveling pad 24. Each pad is flexible, comprising a base 25, whiclrmay consist of a belt of canvas or-. other woven material, and a facing 26 thereon of vulcanized soft rubber preferably having a cloth insertion; ,soft vulcanized rubber knuckles 27 constituting protuberances which project from said facing 26 and are preferably integral .herewith, and preferably have the form of pyramids. These may extend -1n rows both longitudinally and transversely of the belt, all of the pyramids being preferably contiguous one to another widthwise as well as lengthwise of the belt. The companion belt 24 is similarly constructed, but its pyramids 28 are preferably one-half .to one-third of the dimensions of the pyramids 27 on the first belt, this difference in size and spacing being preferably depended upon to avoid the tendency of the pyramids on one belt to interlock with those on the other to a serious extent. While the knuckles are shown as pyramid-shaped, still projections of other forms may be employed, and such projections do not need to be regular.

The bat 20 placed. upon the belt 23 may be wet by hot water delivered through a sprinkler-pipe 29, connected to a pump 30, which may draw the water from a tank 31, supplied through pipin 32.

The belts 23, 24 a Vance together, passing around to and fro under roll 33, over roll 34, under 35, over 36, under 37, over 38, un der 39 and over 40. The lower rolls occupy positions between the upper rolls, thereby causing'the double belt or carrier to follow a wavy or tortuous path. By reason of its following the tortuous path, the 'double belt or carrier is flexed alternately up and down, a indicated at Figures 7 to 10, and a corresponding flexing is effected of the inserted bat being carried along by said belts. The belts are under certain longitudinal tension, and hence the bat is pressed or squeezed between them as the belts curve around the rolls, and the kneading action of the knuckles on the bat is made thorou h and effective, and the shrinking of the at expedited and its quality improved. Since the pyramids are of soft rubber, they are yieldable under the pressure of the belts upon the bat, and the pyramids recover their forms when the pressure is somewhat relieved, as at points midway between rolls, thereby still further kneading the-bat. The pyramids on the upper belt tend to press the bat into the interstices between the pyramids of the lower belt 23, thereby still further flexing or'kneading the bat locally, and improving the shrinking and solidifying action.

After passing through one group of rolls 33 to 40, the belts or carriers may pass downwardly at 41, and carry the bat around a drum 42, which is immersed in the hot water 43 in tank 31, whereby the bat is kept hot and wet, preparatory to further kneading thereof in its passage through the remaining portion of the machine.

As the double belt rises from the drum 42, it may pass over a tensioning pulley 44, which may be carried upon arms 45, pendent from a shaft or axle 46 upon which they are loosely mounted; said arms having horizontal arms 47 carrying weights 48, which tension the double belt.

The double belt may pass over a guiding drum 49 and thence down and up around alternate lower and upper rows of rolls or pulleys 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, whereby the kneading, hardening and shrinking action upon the bat may be continued.

After leaving the last roll 58, the belts are caused to separate, as indicated at 59, to permit the bat to be ejected; whereupon it may be again laid upon the lower belt, 23 and carried through the same process, thus effecting still. further hardening and shrinking of the bat.

The upper belt 24, after leaving the pulley 58, runs down over an idle drum 60 and thence to the first roll 33, these belts being endless. The long belt23 may run back over idle drums 61, 62, 63, 64, a tensioning pulley 65, and an idle drum 66, and thence to the first pulley 33 at the intake portion of the machine. The tensioning pulley 65 may be mounted upon a pair of arms 67, pivoted at 68 and provided with horizontal arms 69 carrying weights 70. It is obvious that other arrangements of belts of carriers may be employed, and that the invention is not limited to endless belts, nor to belts which always travel in the same direction, nor to a machine in which one endless belt loops around another endless belt from the intake to the -discharge portion of the machine.

Before redepositing the partly shrunken bat upon the belt 23 at the intake point, the

bat may be opened out and folded in adif-' ferent place, so as to avoid matting of the fibres together at the folds; or the bat may be passed through the machine several times before taking or repeating such precaution.

It is obvious that several bats may be passing through the machine at the same time, being inserted therein one after another; and, inasmuch as the machine may be operated successfully at a satisfactory speed, a large output may be secured. At Figure 10 the bat is shown in its first passage through the machine; and by stages it gradually shrinks and thickens as indicated at Figures 9, 8 and 7, until the desired proportions and hardness are reached.

The bat will be shrunken more or less quickly according to the degree of wavy deflection which is exerted by the rolls. In

Figure 3 the upper rolls are shown depressed considerably into the spaces between the rolls in the second tier, making a very wavy deflection for the belt.

At Figure 11, the two belts are shown provided with pyramids of the same size and its pyramids tend to crowd together. This condition is reversed when the belts reach the next pulley, and so on. Thus there is an unceasing creeping back and forth of the pyramid points of one belt relatively to those of the other belt, thus keepin up at a multitude of points all through t e bat a to-and-fro local manipulation and kneading thereof. This effect is secured whether the pyramids of one belt are of different size from those of the other, as at Figure 7, or the same size, as at Figure 11. The knuckle action between the inner and outer belts operates to work the fur surfaces (with but little loss of fur) in such a manner as spread and contract the fur at a multiplicity of points while digging into the fur, and therefore there is a kneading action upon the fur on opposite sides and in alternate sequence. Owing to the spreading and contracting of the pyramid points, as illustrated at Figure 11, there is caused a very rapid vibratory motion at a multiplicity of locations.

For some kinds of work, some of the advantages of elastic knuckles may be gained by utilizing only one belt having knuckles, and providing a companion belt which is IlllPlOVltlQtl with knuckles, as at 71, Figures 9 and 10: and, in using such belts, as well as those shown at the other figures, the hat may be turned over from time to time before being reinserted, so as to even up the action of the pyramids or knuckles upon the opposite surfaces of the bat. The felting action is illustrated in the two ositions of Figures 9 and 10, in which the at is operated upon by the teeth or knuckles on the inner belt which co-operate with the plain belt.

The rolls may all be driveh by a system of gearing, but preferably some of the rolls are driven directly by the gearing and others revolve idly. A drive pulley 72 is shown lllOllIltCtlAlPOIl a universal shaft 72 having spiral pinions 73, 74, 75 to mesh with spiral pinions 76, 77, 78 on the shafts of rolls 50, 54, 58. respectively; the remaining kneading rolls 52 and 56 in these groups running idly. Upon said drive shaft 72 are also spiral pinions 79 and 80, tomesh with bevel pinions 81 and 82 on the shafts of rolls 39, 35, respectively, the remaining rolls 37 and 33 of this group revolving idly. The drive shaft 72also has bevel pinions 83, 84-. to mesh with gears 85 and 86 upon (11111115 49 and 60, over which runs the intermediate or short endless belt 24. A gear 87 upon the shaft of drum 49 meshes with a gear 88 on drum 62; and a gear 89 upon drum 60 meshes with a gear 90 on drum 61.

The rolls 34, 36, 88 and 40, iu the lowermost said row, all run idly, and are journaled upon a pair of horizontal bars'or frames 91 common to the rolls. The rolls 51, 53, 55 and 57, in the uppermost row, also run idly, and are journaled upon a pair of horizontal bars 92 common to these rolls; said bars 92 being adjustable upwardly and downwardly to vary the depth to which the rolls thereon sink into the spaces between the rolls 50, 52, 54, 56 and 58, thus varying the shrinking effect and securing differen results as required. Each bar 92 has at its ends slots 93, whereby it is supported upon eccentrics 94 upon shafts 95, the latter having key-stems or arbors 96, whereby they may be rotatively adjusted; said shafts 95 being journaled in their ends in brackets 97 secured upon the framework, and having tightening bolts 98 to secure the shafts where adjusted. The arrangement of the bars 91 is substantially the same as that of 92; the bars 91 having slotted ends, and being mounted upon eccentrics 99, 100, whose mounting and equipment correspond with those of eccentrics 94. Each pair of bars 91 and 92 may be adjustably elevated or depressed at either or both ends independently of the other. Each bar may be tilted if dcsired by means of the eccentrics, so as to secure different desired-results.

The framework of the machine may comprise side frames 101 suitably connected and provided with supports for the tank, pump, etc. Standards 102, rising from the corners of the framework, may support the upper and lower brackets 103, and may also contain the bearings for the drums and the two middle tiers of kneading rolls. On each side of the machine the standards 102 may be connected by integral bars 104, which have bearings for the inner rolls, viz, those forming the second and third rows or tiers.

In Figure 12 theknuckled'double belts are shown in a straight line, and very little pressure is exerted upon the bat, except where the belts run over the drums, and the shrinking will be very much slower. In Figure 12 there is little or no bending of the belts as they pass between the upper and lower rolls 105, 106, owing to the relatively high elevation of the upper rolls.

At Figure 13 the belts are shown as going straight between upper and lower sets of rolls 107, 106, each roll 107 being directly over or bearing upon its companion roll, whereby more pressure upon the bat may lot) - be secured than at Figure 12. It will be understood that, at Figures 12, 13 and 14:, the elastic rubber knuckles are employed the same as seen at certain of the other figures. At Figure 13 one set of rolls 107 may be applied to press the belts against the rolls in the other set 106", and thereby exert pressure upon the bat." In other words, the rolls in'Figure 13. will bear directly against the knuckled belts or pads to effect shrinkage of the bat, but not such rapid shrinkage as in some of the other views. At Figure 13 the belts are shown in a straight line, the rolls bearing directly upon the belts and pressing the belts upon the underlying rolls.

At Figure 14 there are shown additional pressure rolls 108 or companion rolls, to co-operate with the rolls seen at Figure 3, 33 to 40 and to 58. In this arrangement the rolls of each pair are offset with respect to the rolls of the next pair, giving an echelon arrangement. This provision of special pressure rolls permits applying great pressure to the bat for imparting the final hardening thereto.

It will be perceived that, according to this invention, the bat may be subjectedto' intermittent pressure as the belts squeeze it in passing to and fro around the rolls; the pressure being relieved where the belt runs from one roll to the next. The bat is also flexed at all points, this flexing being alternately backward and forward; the squeezing and flexing having substantially the. effect of kneading the felt. -Moreover, owing to the use of pads having. elastic knuckles throughout, the knuckles on one pad tending to indent the bat at a multiplicity of points, and the knuckles on the opposite pad having a like tendency but in the opposite direction, minor manipulations are effected at a multiplicity of localities all over the bat, at the same time that the bat is being given the major flections around the kneading rolls. Thus a two-fold kneading action is progressing at the same time that the bat is being intermittently pressed at the points where it curls around the rolls.

The knuckles, which preferably consist of closely-packed pyramids, are apt to yield somewhat to the pressure, and when the pressure is relieved they, recover their forms, in doing which they effect further local manipulations of the bat; this operation occurring progressively and intermittently throughout the bat. The work is thus subjected to a variety of general and local kneading movements. simultaneously as it progresses through the apparatus.

One of the advantages of kneading a but between a pair of pads consisting mainly of soft rubberpyramids or knuckles, is securable by effecting slight relative to-and-fro movements of the pyramid tips on one pad relatively, to those on the other pad, this having the effect of jig ering the bar. Slight movements of the nuckle tips in each set to and fro relatively to the other set, while pressure is bing applied, are highly eflicient' in shrinking and hardening a bat. It is bythe 1 resent invention contrived to produce t is relative movement,

at the same time securing the other advantages hereinbefore mentioned, even though" the beltstravel in unison over the rolls. It

is partly to accomplish this relative movement of the pyramids that the pads are caused to weave to and fro over and under the kneading rolls. It will be understood that as the pad passes around one roll and is curved outwardly'thereby, the points of the pyramids separate somewhat, inasmuch as said points are more remote from the axis of the roll than are the bases of the pyramids." At the same time the companion pad, passing around the same roll but with its'face toward the roll, is concaved, and

the points of its pyramids are hence gathered or brought closer together. Therefore, the points or tips in one set'are separated from one another, while the points in the other set approach one another, so,

ment to and fro is nearly unceasing, since the pyramids have their normal forms only in the straight reaches of the belts between the successive rolls. This relative creeping of the points is relied upon to expedite the shrinking and hardening of the bat, whichis hardened not only on its exterior 'portions, but also on the intermediate or interior portions, thus contributing substan tially to the value of the product.

It is, of course, obvious that my invention is susceptible of various modifications and changes which would be within the spirit l of the invention without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A bat-shrinking apparatus comprising two sets of cooperating rolls, the axes of the latter being so located that the rolls of one set are in overlapping relation to the rolls of the other set, and traveling pads guided alternately over and under successive rolls and caused thereby to follow a wavy path, each-of said pads comprising nu e u la ti n kles t knea a e carried in a substantially fiat condition between the pads, the aggregate of said knuckles occupying practically the entire working area of each pad.

and a hot water bath through which the belts run between said groups, the working face of each belt provided with numerous elastic kneading knuckles, the aggregate of which occupy practically the entire working area of each belt.

3. A bat-shrinking apparatus comprising two successive groups each comprising two sets of rolls, the rolls in one set of each group being in staggered and overlapping relation to the other set of each group, a pair of traveling endless bat-kneading belts bending alternately over and under the successive rolls in each group for kneading bats in a substantially flat condition, oneof said belts being relatively short, drums over which the short belt reversesits direction of travel, said groups of rolls being disposed between said drums; the lon belt comprising two loops, one of said oops for each group of kneadin rolls; and guiding drums upon which the ong belt runs back from the delivery to the intake point of the apparatus.

4. The combination of "a travelling pad havin numerous individual knuckles for kneadln a bat in a substantially flat con dition, t e aggregate of said knuckles comprising practlcally the entire area of the pad, a succession of rolls located in staggered, overla ping relation around which the pad ben s to and fro, thereby alternately spreading and gathering the tips of the knuckles and a companion travelling pad for confining the fiat batiagainst said knuckles.

5. The combination with a pair of traveling belts between which a bat in a substantially flat condition may be carried, each of'said belts having numerous soft rubber points the aggregate of which comprises practically the entire working area of each belt, of means for effecting to-and-fro creeping of the points upon each belt relatively to those upon the other belt, and means for causin the points to press into the bat.

6. T e method of shrinking a bat, comprising placing the bat in a substantially flat condition between pads provided with elastic knuckles the aggregate of which comprises practically the entire working area of said ads, and repeatedly bending all portions 0 the assemblagv I to and fro.

HO ER A. GENEST. Witnesses:

D. Manon SMITH, LILLIAN M. TAYLOR. 

